At the Beginning with you
by xXAonoNYmouSPXx
Summary: A small trip to Hokkaido and a small jump to Mamori and Hiruma's past. The reason why Mamori is the way she is and why Hiruma is desperate to win the Christmas Bowl Cup. A hidden memory that each of them knew, but do they know that it was the other? "It's a small world after all..." [Rated T for language] Read and Review!
1. To Hokkaido! YA-HA!

EYESHIELD 21

[HIRUMA AND MAMORI]

"**At the Beginning with You"**

**Chapter 1: To Hokkaido! YA-HA!**

* * *

'_We were strangers, starting out on our journey_

_Never dreaming what we'd have to go through_

_Now here we are and I'm suddenly standing_

_At the beginning with you'_

* * *

Anezaki Mamori let out a tired sigh as she stared out from the bus window, watching the beautiful scenery of Hokkaido's province pass by the bus of the Devil Bats. If only she weren't too exhausted then she would have enjoyed the scenery more.

'_That Hiruma…_' she grunted when she remembered why they're coming to Hokkaido in the first place.

* * *

_**~A few days ago~**_

The Devil Bats continued to cheer and celebrate their sweet victory against the Hakuushu Dinosaurs and all are assembled in their clubhouse. Fortunately, their team captain recovered sooner than expected after that incident with Gaou during the game and is back to his 'normal' demon self, but Mamori knows better, she knows that his arm hasn't fully recovered yet. Although he shows that he can carry his rifles with ease, he can't throw the ball the way he used to, yet.

'Really now… Men and their pride' she sighed and went on doing her job, sorting files, categorizing plays and etc. At least now she knows how to use the computer.

The uproar only increased when Kurita barged inside the clubhouse.

"Everyone! I have great news!" he shouted with glee.

"What is it now damn porker? It's noisy enough in here already" Hiruma popped a bubble and rested his rifle by his shoulder.

"I'm really, really happy that we won against Hakuushu even though Hiruma got inju-"

Crack. And a rapid fire of bullets shot the roof before Kurita could finish his sentence "Cut the crap and get to the point! Fucking porker!"

"Y-yes!" and he took out from his bag a big coupon and hoisted it up in the air for everyone to see.

"Eh? What's that Kurita?"

"A coupon?" his teammates wondered

"Yes! My father gave it to me this morning, he said that his friend watched our match against the Dinosaurs and he was really happy with our victory."

Mamori took it and read that it was a coupon for a three day free vacation in a province in Hokkaido and the number of people who can join is enough for the entire Devil Bat team.

"Wow, your father's friend is really generous but isn't Hokkaido too far? We are in Tokyo after all." Mamori said before handing the coupon for the others to see.

"Yeah well, we really did work hard and I know everyone's exhausted" he scratched the back of his head "and I think everyone deserved a vacation at least before the next game."

"Wow! This is really something! Let's go, Let's go!" Suzuna cheered.

"This is will be fun MAX!" Monta raised a thumbs-up

"I agree, you kids have gone through enough. You deserve a good rest once in a while." Doburoku said, after taking a gulp from his canteen.

Then a rapid fire of bullets flew towards them, accurately missing them. "Heh, that doesn't sound bad. I say we all fucking go" Hiruma said, showing a toothy grin.

"Yay! Yay! Yay! Hokkaido! Hokkaido! Devil Bats, we go!" Suzuna started cheering with her Pom-poms.

"Alright MAX! Everyone's coming, right?" Monta looked at the Huh-huh brothers

"Of course!"

"Wouldn't miss it!"

"It's free!"

"You're coming too, right Sena?" Monta looked at Eyeshield

Sena nodded "Yes, I'm going with you guys. You'll come with us, right Mamori-neechan?" he looked at the girl who was like a big sister to him.

"Sorry guys, but I can't"

Hiruma's bubble popped.

"EHH?!" the entire clubhouse was in an uproar

"W-w-why?!"

"Mamori-senpai why?! Disappointed MAX!"

"Mamo-nee, why?"

"Mamori-neechan, is there something wrong?" Sena asked her, worry enlacing his voice. It's not every day they could get-together like this and he knew better that Mamori would love to visit places with beautiful scenery, so why?

"I-It's no big deal guys" she raised her hands to calm them down a bit, especially Monta and Suzuna "It's just that Hokkaido's really far and I still have too many things to do as the manger-"

"But Mamo-nee, can't you at least set aside your work for a while?"

"Yeah Mamori-senpai, you deserve a break too you know"

"Besides Mamo-nee, you can't just leave me alone with these boys! I mean, I don't wanna stay in a room and dive in the hot springs on my own! I wanna know if 'they' got bigger too!" Suzuna insisted and the boys, excluding Hiruma, if not blushed, tried to pretend that they didn't hear anything by the mere mention of 'they'.

"Sorry Suzuna, everyone," she felt really sorry for them. Although she did have a point that Hokkaido's too far and that she does have a workload more to do. Even though Suzuna's hugging and crying around her stomach now. Monta even tried to hug her too but he was just kicked out Suzuna's roller skates. "I'm really sorry; but I hope you all will have fun-"

Hiruma's bubble popped again.

Now another firearm appeared out of nowhere in his hands and joined another rapid fire that shot the roof.

"Oi, fucking manager," Hiruma said after making his rapid fire

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?!"

"Like I fucking care," he chewed on his gum a bit before continuing "You went with us and saw the Death March in **America**, twice" he made sure to emphasize the word America. "That damn place is much farther than Hokkaido, or are you dumb in geography that you didn't know? Huh? Fucking Cream Puff Girl"

Mamori glared at him, oh how dare he speak to her that way! "First of all, it was necessary for me to go there and the second time; you dragged us there out of the blue without informing us first that we were even participating in the Cream Puff Cup!"

"Kekekeke" he snickered "So the fucking manager doesn't wanna join her team for a little vacation, huh? And you call yourself a manager? Tch. That's fine by me. Kekekekeke, looks like it's either you're sleeping with us or you're sleeping alone in Hokkaido fucking skates"

"No! You-nii!"

"Kekekeke! And do you really wanna disappoint damn porker? Even though he said that he would be really happy if we all come? Tsk, tsk, tsk, some kind of friend you are, fucking manager"

Again, it's a battle against Mamori's glare and Hiruma's sinister laugh and fang-filled Cheshire cat smile.

"Geez! I can't believe you! Fine! I'm coming to Hokkaido as well! For everyone's sake especially Kurita's and Suzuna's" Mamori retorted after what seemed like forever.

With that, everyone cheered and Sena was relieved that there's nothing wrong with Mamori-neechan. It was then when Hiruma noticed Doburoku's and Musashi's bemused stare at him. After all, it's not like Hiruma to force people to do something trivial, especially since Mamori coming along will give him no benefit. The renowned demon commander just ignored them and stared back at his fucking manager who was being hogged by the others specially fucking skates and the damn monkey.

"Well, since I'm coming along, when are we going to Hokkaido, Kurita?" finally, Mamori asked.

"It's on… ehh?!" Kurita jumped when he read the date on the coupon "I-It says that the last free flight to Hokkaido is tomorrow! If we don't take it, then we'll have to answer the transportation fee by ourselves during the entire trip!"

"EHH?!"

Another rapid fire broke out and Hiruma was standing on the roulette table

"Listen up you shitty shrimps! Better pack your bags and make damn good excuses tonight! Make sure you're all at the airport tomorrow morning and if you're even a second late, I'll show you all what true hell is like! YA-HA!"

* * *

**~Back to present~**

Mamori continued to stare out the window. It made her think, why did she refused anyway? It'll be fun, and she could watch over them just in case Hiruma would make them train in surprise again. Besides, she's been to Hokkaido before… then it hit her, the scenery she's watching right now… she's seen it before… but when was it? The last time she came here…

Suddenly her eyes became heavy, lack of sleep? Probably, she had talked to her parents all night about this trip, and she tried to finish at least half of her paperwork, furthermore, Hiruma had the heart to allow her to take her workload with her instead of scolding her.

She tried to balance her head, but it seemed like all of her energy escaped from her body. The last thing she knew was that her head landed on something and then everything went black.

'_Sweet dreams then…'_

* * *

**This is my first fanfic. I have been reading fanfics here in this website for a while now and decided to try to make a fanfic of my own. **

**Reviews and Criticisms are appreciated, but no flames please.**

**The first italicized paragraph are lyrics from the Song: At the Beginning with you**


	2. Sleepy Head

**P.S. Read the Author's Notes after reading this chapter.**

* * *

EYESHIELD 21

[HIRUMA AND MAMORI]

"**At the Beginning with You"**

**Chapter 2: Sleepy Head**

'_No one told me, I was going to find you_

_Unexpected, what you did to my heart_

_When I lost hope you were there to remind me_

_**THIS IS THE START**__'_

* * *

'_Sweet dreams then…'_

After hours of talking to her parents that night before the departure to Hokkaido with the Devil Bats American Football Team, her parents finally decided to let her go. It's not like they don't trust her or the people she's going with, little Kobayakawa Sena can keep an eye on her; it's just that she is an only child, an only daughter to boot. So of course her parents will be slightly stricter.

She would have finished packing her things earlier if not for Suzuna's constant call about what she should bring and about her excitement of having a girl's sleep over, even just the two of them. When Mamori finally dove to the comforts of her own bed, that's when she saw the pile of paperwork on her study table.

'_Oh come on…_' she whined she wanted to just sink into her pillows and wish that what she saw never existed, but otherwise, she struggled to stand up and lazily sat in front of her study table. She needs to finish these soon or else she will never hear the end of Hiruma's constant rant with a dash of foul language.

Time went by and she has already finished half of the pile of papers when her head became heavier, so did her eyes. Everything just became so blurry.

'_No… just a little longer… I'm almost… done_' her head landed on the hard table and finally dozed off, not even bothering to turn off the lamp or even hear the sound of papers falling and scattering down her room's floor.

"_You'll be back, right? You promised! Remember! You promised!"_

"_Yeah, yeah, I'm not an old man to forget things. I'll definitely come back. If not, that means I'm dead or I totally forgot"_

"_You… You wouldn't dare! I-If you don't come back then that means you're a big fat liar and a coward!"_

"_What the fuck… Who the hell are you calling a coward?! You big sissy!"_

"_You are! Coward! Now promise me again that you'll come back or else I'm gonna spread that you're the chicken of all chickens!"_

"_Ughh, Man you're so annoying! Alright! I promise I'll come back to this fucking place!"_

"_You better! Hmph!"_

"_Hmph!"_

_Silence…_

"_Hey kid"_

"_What?!"_

"_I… CRIIINGGG!"_

"_Huh? What did you just say?"_

"_Ughh! I said I- CRIIIIINGGG!"_

_**CRIIIIIIINNNNNNGGGGGG!**_

Mamori Anezaki jerked her body up. That's when she realized that she fell asleep halfway while doing her work and she sighed when she saw the pile of papers covering her room. She glanced up the clock.

'_EHH?!_' It was 3 o'clock in the morning. Does that mean she only slept for three hours?! She rubbed her eyes, trying to make sure if she saw the time right but there was something else on her eyes. Wet and damp. '_Tears?_' she wondered, she was crying? About what?

Her wondering only stopped when the loud sound of ringing finally pierced her ears. It was her cellphone. Now who would in their sane mind be calling her at this hour? She picked it up and saw who was calling.

Hiruma

Typical. She wasted no time and answered the phone but before she could even say hello…

"THE FUCK WAS THAT FOR FUCKING MANAGER?!" his voice was so loud she had to push her phone away from her ear for as long her arm can stretch.

"Hiruma! I told you not to call me that! And why are you calling me at this hour?! The sun hasn't even risen yet!" she shouted back.

"Shut your trap fucking manager and look over the window"

"Wha-"

"Just do it!"

And she did, she was still drowsy from the sudden wake-up call and swayed a bit. She bent down and quickly took the fallen papers into her hands, careful not to step on them. After that, she opened the light to her room and slid open her window. She looked down and saw _**the **_Commander from Hell, under a street lamp, staring up at her window, with one of the many cellphones he owned while leaning on a black Ducati that obviously isn't owned by Habashira.

"Get your bags" she heard him say from her phone

"What?"

"I said get your bags and get down here fucking manager, we're going to the damn airport"

"Ehh?! So early?! But I haven't even changed yet! And I need to take a bath first!" she heard him click his tongue on the other end.

"Fine but you better get your ass down here in no more than thirty minutes or I'm leaving without you!"

He hung up.

Now she was taken aback, Hiruma Youichi, of all people, is just outside her house to pick her up for their vacation. This is, to her amazement, really unexpected and… amusing. Knowing Hiruma, he would rather make his teammates come to the airport themselves. So why would he bother to pick her up on his own?

'**What are you staring at Fucking Manager? Time's ticking! Hit the showers already!**' she saw him made a sign.

Mamori snapped out of her thoughts and didn't think twice to prepare herself. Minutes later, her parents woke up because of the noise she's making and Mamori told them that she's going and that someone 'unlikely' came to fetch her.

After getting herself ready, she went outside of her house and Hiruma took her bags without another word and placed them under the compartment under the motorcycle's seat. He wore a helmet with designs similar to the Devil Bats and handed another one to her.

"By the way Hiruma, I'm sorry"

"Huh?" damn he sounded like one of the Huh-Huh Brothers.

"What are you apologizing for, fucking manager?"

"I wasn't able to finish all the papers… But I managed to finish half of them! So don't say another word about me being irresponsible! I promise I'll finish all of them soon! I even brought them with me!" Mamori spoke on and on, not letting him cut her through or else he'll start talking shit in front of her house and probably wake up the entire neighborhood. She wouldn't have that.

So when she finished speaking, she glanced up only to find a very amused Hiruma. Then he started laughing, hard.

"W-what's so funny?!" her face was red.

"You are!" he continued laughing hard even to the point of holding his stomach. After what seemed like forever, he wiped a tear away from his eye and looked at her embarrassed-for-reasons-she-does-not-understand face "You really are something fucking manager."

She looked up at him and saw his toothy grin. "First of all, did I ever say a deadline for those papers when I gave them to you?"

Mamori pressed her lips. Now that she thought about it, he was right. He didn't say anything about that, he usually does and with exact time as well "No…" she answered sheepishly

"Kekeke, man that was priceless! You got all worked up for nothing! No wonder you look like a rug, you have bags under your eyes!"

Realizing her own mistake, she felt her face getting hotter with embarrassment.

"S-s-stop laughing already!"

"Kekekeke!" he continued grinning at her. Ohh damn him, he's obviously having fun in something so trivial! "But since you embarrassed yourself, alright. If you insist, you can bring those papers to Hokkaido but they better be finished before the sun sets tonight."

"Eh?"

And before she knew it, they sped off with Mamori riding behind him while holding the handle behind her.

"Ah! Hiruma-kun! What about Sena?! Didn't you come to fetch him too?! He lived right next door to us!" she shouted at him as the Ducati roared down the street.

"Good idea fucking manager!" then Hiruma took out his cellphone, dialed Sena's number and yelled "Oi! Fucking shrimp! Get your ass down at the airport! The plane's gonna leave in one hour! But if you're not there in thirty minutes I'll make sure you'll never see daylight again! YA-HA!" then he hung up without another word.

"Hiruma! That was dangerous! You can't make a phone call while riding a bike! And how dare you do that to Sena-"

"Shut up Fucking manager! It'll be a good morning exercise for him! Kekekeke!"

"Why you- KYAHHHH!" Mamori screamed her lungs out and quickly wrapped her arms around Hiruma's back in fear of falling as Hiruma performed a motorcycle stunt, lifting high the front part of the Ducati, when they entered the empty highway. It was perfect, there's not a single vehicle in the highway and they can ride as fast as he wants. At least no one will hear her high pitched scream as she hung onto Hiruma as if her life depended on it.

"YA-HA!" Too bad Mamori was behind him or else she would've seen the genuine smile on his face as he felt her weight behind him.

They were first to arrive at the airport and the others soon followed with fear plastered on their faces, if they arrived even a millisecond late from Hiruma's time limit he would blast them all to kingdom come. Mamori obviously scolded him especially when poor Sena arrived with his body soaked as if he fell in a swimming pool while his bags dangled around his arms. Hiruma just ignored her rant as usual.

**~0~**

"-ori-nee!"

"-amori-nee!"

"Mamori-nee!"

Mamori Anezaki shot her eyes open. She felt a soft, furry ball under her head and jumped back when she looked down and found out what it was.

"C-Cerberus?!" she squealed and backed away a bit from the demon dog. After giving her a sideways glance, Cerberus only stood up, yawned, stretched his stiff limbs and jumped down from his seat. She could only watch him with total confusion.

"Glad to see you're up Mamo-nee" Mamori looked up, only to see Suzuna.

"Oh! It's you Suzuna"

"Heehee, we're here now Mamori-nee. Come on, let's go! I wanna see our room!" she said and excitedly pulled her arm. Mamori sighed and went along with her.

The Devil Bats reached their destination. It was a large, traditional, Japanese house and they were all welcomed and greeted by the staff with open arms. The staff showed them around the house and showed them the hotel's hot springs before showing them to their rooms. Much to Monta's dismay, the rooms were separated by gender, which was fine, since the boys' room were big enough for even Kurita to roll around. Suzuna and Mamori's room were just beside the boy's. Since it's still early and since lunch won't start until two hours or so, they all decided to do a little sightseeing after they finished packing, excluding Hiruma, who chose to stay behind because he still have something to do.

Once they were ready, and fortunately finishing the last half of Mamori's paperwork, they all went out on foot. Things were fun, and the sight of the province is really breathtaking. They even passed by a town where a festival will take place tomorrow night. Mamori was so amazed that she forgot that she still needed sleep. However, the smile on her face disappeared when she froze in front of a giant, red Torii gate.

Then it hit her, when two simple words echoed in her head…

"_Hey kid"_

**~*Omake*~**

Hiruma Youichi sat on the left side of the bus the Devil Bats were riding on while working on his laptop with his AK-47 and demon dog, Cerberus, right beside him. Most of the team was asleep, after all, he was the reason why they ran like hell just to get to the airport in time and that didn't save his fucking manager, who was obviously starting to doze off while looking out the window.

He noticed that even when they were on the plane, good thing she didn't doze off while he was riding them to the airport. He could still feel the warmth of her tight embrace around him. Although he would never admit it aloud, it felt damn good.

He looked at Mamori by the corner of his eyes and saw her head struggling to balance on her hand. Quick but swift, he removed her bags from the chair beside her, placed them on his previous seat and sat down beside her. It was not long till her head fell on his shoulder. He was taken aback but he regained his composure just in time before he could drop her bags and the gum in his mouth on the floor.

'_The fuck did I do this for anyway?_' he wondered to himself. He didn't know either, his body just moved on his own. Hiruma looked at the angel sleeping soundly on his shoulder. '_Fuck that'_

As quiet and as careful as he could, he shifted himself to a more comfortable position, careful not to wake her. Then when everything seemed fine, he leaned back on the chair. Minutes went by but it felt like hours until Hiruma finally looked down at the Devil Bat's manager.

'_Damn it why does she suddenly felt so tempting?_' he continued to stare down at her and brought a hand over to her cheek to caress it. After a few strokes, he finally rested his head on her auburn hair '_Fuck I don't care anymore…_'

It felt too good to be true, just silently sitting there with her right beside him.

'_If only…_'

It wasn't long until he heard a gasp and looked up, only to see Sena, probably checking up on his 'sister', and Suzuna, peeking over their chair with expressions of shock, horror, disbelief, and amusement with Suzuna's antenna dancing atop her head.

Hiruma looked at them with a raised brow until finally smiling maniacally and took out his black threat book from out of nowhere, eyes gleaming with evil intent as he raised a finger up to his lips. No words are needed to be said. Sena and Suzuna got the message and zipped their lips and returned back to their seats trying their hardest to forget what they just saw.

Shortly after, Hiruma grunted in annoyance '_Damn, I knew it was fucking reckless'_ he cursed and looked at Cerberus. As if sensing his master's gaze, Cerberus cracked an eye open and followed Hiruma's command when he motioned him to come closer. As careful and as gentle as he could be, he moved out from his seat while holding Mamori's head. He motioned Cerberus to lie down on the seat and carefully rested Mamori's head on the dog's unexpectedly soft fur.

Cerberus shifted to look at Hiruma but was only met with a devil gaze that said '_If you even dare move a muscle and wake her up, I'll make sure they're serving dog meat for barbecue tonight! Kekekekeke!_' the dog could only whine and struggle to be the best pillow for his '_master's angel_.'

* * *

**Cheeky on the last part eh? Hehehe I know**

**SPOILERS on the next chapter… Mamori and Hiruma's flashback starts there. So please be patient with me **** and I would like to thank those who have read/reviewed/followed this story so far **** Please be patient with me. I promise that things will get pretty interesting~**

**I updated sooner than expected. I actually intend to update the next chapter every week but I guess the sooner, the better, before writer's block finally got me.**

**This chapter has a word count of about two thousand and a half, pretty long for me though. **

**If you guys have any suggestions or questions, you can either put them on review or PM me.**

**Reviews and Criticisms are appreciated, but no flames please.**

**The first italicized paragraph is lyrics from the Song: At the Beginning with you**


	3. Kibou, Unmei, and Shukumei

**P.S. Read the Author's Notes after reading this chapter.**

EYESHIELD 21

[HIRUMA AND MAMORI]

"**At the Beginning with You"**

**Chapter 3: Kibou, Unmei, and Shukumei**

* * *

'_And Life is a road and I want to keep going_

_Love is a river I want to keep flowing_

_Life is a road now and forever_

_A Wonderful journey'_

* * *

_However, the smile on her face disappeared when she froze in front of a giant, red Torii gate._

_Then it hit her, when two simple words echoed in her head…_

"_Hey kid"_

A little girl of ten looked up and saw a group of boys walking up to her. Before she could even ask, the biggest of the boys snatched the object in her hands and started inspecting it.

"What is this piece of junk?"

"It's an American Football ball" said the little girl, worried at how careless the boy handled the ball

"You call this a ball? How dumb! It's not even round and its pointy! It looks more like an abnormal, large, brown egg" the boy chuckled and lifted the ball up high.

"W-what are you doing?! G-g-give it back to me you big bully!" cried the girl, trying to reach the object with utter failure, the ball is too high for her to reach. "That's mine!"

"Beat it kid!" and the boy pushed the poor little girl. She landed on her bum with teary eyes and her backpack fell off her shoulders. "This is what we do with dumb things!" the girl was about to say something but she stopped and gasped when the boy threw the ball and it splashed on the river beside them. The other boys laughed.

The girl continued to stare in horror as her precious football drifted along the river's current. "Hey look guys! This brat's got food!" she snapped and saw one of the bullies holding her snacks and backpack. The others gathered around her bag and started rummaging her stuff. The little girl tried to stop them but she was pushed away again.

"Wow! I heard you can only get these snacks in the city!" the leader looked back at her and smirked at her pathetic state "City girl should know her place" he said as he took a bite on one of the candy bars.

The girl couldn't take it anymore; she never felt so humiliated and decided to run. Crying her lungs out, not caring where she was heading.

**~0~**

Along the pathway near the river, a boy with spiky black hair was walking aimlessly under the sun with four Tasers dangling around his neck while chewing a sugar-free bubble gum. While he was walking, he noticed a strange brown object stuck between two rocks in the river. Curious, he went down and picked up the object with ease, using the nearby rocks as stepping stones.

"What the fuck is this doing here?" he muttered and went back on the road. The black haired boy inspected the football, concluding that it's in perfect condition; he took out a small towel from his pocket and dried the thing off as he continued walking down the road.

While he was walking, he passed by a group of laughing boys and he couldn't help but overhear.

"Man that was funny!"

"That city girl's so weak and pathetic! Serves her right for messing with us!"

"Weren't you guys too hard on her?"

"Who cares?! That girl with that stupid football or whatever is none of my concern anymore" the boy's pointy ears twitched and stopped on his tracks "At least we got some good grub!"

The group of boys stopped walking and fell silent when they saw a boy inflating a gum in his mouth while carrying the awfully familiar ball between his hands.

"What do you want kid?!" said the leader

The boy popped the gum and said "I want you brats to tell me more about this city girl with the 'dumb' football"

"And why should I tell you?! Huh?! Imp!"

Upon hearing that, the boy smiled a toothy grin, revealing sharp fangs. He took a red and black tickler and chuckled menacingly. "Kekekekekeke"

That was the very moment when the country boys learned that devils do exist.

**~0~**

The little girl with short brown hair continued to run to who knows where. She shouldn't have left the house in the first place! But she already talked to her parents that she wanted to go sightseeing on her own. She even packed too much snacks for Pete's sake!

She ran and ran until she tripped her foot and fell face forward on a stone… wait, what? Stone?! Stone floor! She snapped her thoughts and cleared her eyes a bit. She sat on the floor and learned that she has stumbled upon a shrine area. Looking up, the brunette saw a cherry tree with the kanji reading '_**kibou'**_, carved on the bark of the tree.

'**_Hope_…**' she read, she wiped the tears in her eyes and walked slowly until she sat herself under the base of the tree. She noticed that the tree hasn't fully bloomed yet but some petals have already started flowing down. For a moment she was amazed by its all beauty but tears started to form in her eyes once more when she realized that she didn't have her bag anymore with her, nor her precious football. Oh how angry will her parents be when they find out!

The thought alone of her parents scolding her because of her carelessness made her shudder and she resumed her crying.

'_Why can't I be brave? Ughh I don't have any backbone at all!_'

"Hey brat" she looked up and saw a boy with an expressionless face, her eyes widened when she saw her backpack and precious football. Without another word, he tossed the items towards her and she caught them with without fail. She could only stare at him.

"Uhmm… t-thank you…" she finally said after a few heartbeats of staring at each other.

"Tch, whatever" after saying that, the boy walked and sat down under another cherry tree. This time, the tree was across her and instead, the kanji reading **'**_**Unmei' **_was carved on the tree's bark; it read as '**Fate'**

She watched him as he leaned his head on the tree with his eyes closed while chewing on his gum. After that, she decided to check the contents of her bag. Fortunately, her map and other belongings were still there but it seems she is all out of provisions. She sighed then her stomach growled. Her cheeks felt hot and tried to hide her face in embarrassment, well as if the boy across a few feet from her could hear her stomach growling! Unfortunately for her, he did and he smirked.

Before the girl knew it, the boy was already in front of her again. This time, he took out a candy bar from his pocket and gave it to her. She eyed the piece of delicious sugar with uncertainty until the boy nodded with assurance; she snatched the bar and immediately took a bite after opening it.

Swallowing with content, she smiled to him and said "Thank you"

"Keh, it's from your bag anyway" he smirked.

Then they heard another sound, this time, not coming from her stomach, they looked up and saw dark clouds, quickly forming atop their heads. Before they could even react it started to rain, hard.

"Oh no!" the girl squeaked and stood up. The cherry tree isn't big enough to cover her from the rain.

"Come with me brat!" he suddenly cried, held the girl by her hand and placed her bag atop her head. He rushed her through the downpour and they finally stopped under another tree. This time, it was a giant cherry tree, big enough to keep them dry. "Tch the shrine's too far" he said "And I ain't no doctor to take care of you if you slipped and fall-" he stopped when he looked back at the girl who was looking at him with a slight blush on her face. The black haired looked down and saw his hand, gripping her hand tightly. He let go.

Everything seemed awkward after that, the girl sat under the tree, while watching the ripples forming with each drop of water. Her other hand gently caressing her other. '_His hand is warm…_'

Just a seat apart of her was the boy who, was staring up at the sky as if looking for any sign of the rain stopping. He took his hand from his head and stared at it '_Damn brat…_'

Thunder crashed above them, the boy, unaffected by the loud roar glanced at his side. The girl squealed and covered her ears. He scoffed. '_She's just like any damn sissy girl-' _his thoughts were suddenly interrupted when he heard another thunder but he didn't stop because of that. He stopped because the girl is suddenly grabbed his arm!

'_What the fuck?_' cursing and pushing her away was the first thing he thought. However, he didn't do it. Why? He doesn't know himself. His mind was blank and he could only stare at the girl who cowered in fear, holding his arm as if her life depended on it.

After a few heartbeats, the girl looked up and was met with an expressionless face. She quickly let go of his arm and looked down in embarrassment. 'Oh no! Why did I do that?! But the thunder was so scary… I must've looked pathetic'

'Man, that was pathetic' he said mentally. Another thunder crashed, this time, the girl struggled to stay put but her eyes were closed and she was shivering.

"Tssssss" she heard him "You can hold on to my arm if you're scared"

'The fuck?! Since when did I care if a kid's scared out of their pants or not?!'

The girl however, reluctantly took his offer and held a small part of his sleeve.

A few minutes later and the rain still showed no signs of stopping.

"Achoo!"

'Dammit did I just sneezed?! Fuck! I'm the imp! The devil's reincarnation! I can't get sick because of a stupid rain!' he cursed

"Are you cold?" he snapped his head towards her. Her eye's showing concern.

"I'm fine"

"Your ears are red" with that, he became paralyzed when he felt her small hands gently massaging his red pointy ears.

"Let go of my ears damn brat." Surprisingly, it didn't sound as a demand. It didn't stop her though "You're holding the ears of a devil you know"

She giggled and finally let go of his ears

"What's so fucking funny?"

"You said they were 'ears of a devil'"

"Aren't they?"

She giggled more "No, I think your ears are very cute. Like rabbit ears"

He stopped and stared at her melancholy smile '_Cute? She find my ears cute?_' never in his life did he received such a compliment. One look at him and children, as well as adults, would mistake him as a devil because of his abnormal ears and unusual teeth.

"Keh, the fuck are you talking about, damn brat?" he smiled and showed his toothy grin. He saw her looking through her backpack and she took out a rather long scarf. "I told you I'm not cold" he sneezed

"Liar" without another word, she wrapped the long scarf around his neck. "It's my mom's though" he rolled his eyes. He could only watch her as she smiles after finishing.

'_Dammit_' he cursed under his breath. With his photographic memory, the image of this unknown girl's smile will forever burn in his memory.

**~0~**

More than thirty minutes passed when the rain finally stopped, with the last drop landing on a leaf and the first rays of the sun peeked through the dark clouds.

"Oh my, what a wonderful sight"

If you were the old man that came out of the house to check on the trees, you would have seen a very beautiful scenery. Two children sleeping peacefully, a long scarf wrapped both their necks, leaning against each other with their fingers intertwined under the protective shade of a giant cherry tree, it's flowers blooming as it met the sun, with the word **'Shukumei'** embedded on its bark, which meant **Destiny**.

* * *

**If you guys have any suggestions or questions, you can either put them on review or PM me.**

**Reviews and Criticisms are appreciated, but no flames please.**

**The first italicized paragraph is lyrics from the Song: At the Beginning with you**


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